Ronth – My Flash Review!

Ronth, usually pronounced Rondhu, means patrolling in police parlance in Malayalam and Tamil. Accordingly, this film is about a pair of police officers—one a seasoned, dyed-in-the-wool cop and the other a Greenhorn —who are on night patrol duty. The film, set in a small town in Kerala, is about what happens during that one night of patrol by these cops.

The film, directed by Shahi Kabir, who has now become the authority in films based on police procedurals with his earlier hits in the genre like Nayattu, Joseph, Ela Veezha Poonchira, etc., once again depicts vividly, as naturally as possible, the happenings in police stations and the lives of cops in India. If you remember, films like Nayattu and Ela Veezha Poonchira, too, were in a similar template. In these films, there are hardly any attempts to “massify” police personnel and their jobs. Instead, these films depicted the dull and dreary days of cops at work, particularly in small towns, while they had to contend with their personal lives.

The two officers played superbly by Dileesh Pothan and Roshan Mathew are on a night patrol duty. It is Christmas time, and the town is all decked up to welcome the season. Surprisingly, as the night plays out, they are kept on their toes literally, with so many pings coming in from the base station directing them to attend to different issues. Initially, all these appear as disparate events, but we know that a link could emerge towards the end. As the two cops attend the crisis calls, we are also informed of the inner demons they have been battling for years, which show up in how they respond to the calls. Kabir also gives us a glimpse of the interpersonal dynamics at play between the senior and the junior officer, which are some of the interesting aspects of the film. So far, so good.

As several incidents play out and the cops continue intervening, we eagerly await the knots to be untied. Even as the film comes to a close, we continue to wait. After following the threads closely, we are left disappointed in the absence of a proper closure when the climax plays out. This is the same feeling I had when I watched Nayattu as well. Instead, I would have preferred if some of the disparate events had been dropped, and the focus had remained on having a proper closure of the central knot. Yes, that would make it more of a mainstream cop film, but it would not have left us with a sense of disappointment.

Dileesh Pothan is in fine form, and this is a role he can sleepwalk into. The character he plays has been written with an interesting arc, and he plays that with great elan. As a senior, he almost bullies his junior routinely, reminding us of ragging days in college, while showing his compassionate side when needed. Roshan Mathew does a competent job, but his role is so tepidly written that you don’t invest in that character.

The film, backed by Junglee Pictures, has the required production values. The film is almost shot outdoors, and that too at night. The camera work is haunting and outstanding, with just the two characters in focus in most parts. Being an ex-cop, the director also gives us an insider account of how efficiently and dispassionately the policing system functions. One would be surprised to see a police station in a small town being so busy, even at night, as the different patrolling groups keep getting alerts and notifications of an event or a crime. With Christmas around the corner, there is additional vigil. Kabir gives special attention to the nitty-gritty of police patrolling.

Ronth starts promisingly and engagingly but fritters away the built-up interest towards the end, leaving us with a mixed impression of the film. With a minor tweaking of the second half, it would have been a great watch, but for now, it ends up being an okay watch. Ronth is streaming now on Jio Hotstar.